Ruth 1:16-18
16But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!” 18When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
These verses are often read at weddings, as verses of commitment. Ruth is the daughter-in-law of Naomi, the woman her son married after the family had fled from a drought and famine-stricken land to the land of Moab. But while they were there, all of the men in Naomi’s family die – her husband, and her two sons. Naomi decides to return to the land of her people, and the daughters-in-law begin to return with her. When she implores them to turn back, Orpah does, but Ruth speaks the words above.
Ruth leaves behind the country that she knew, people she loved, and her religion. She makes a powerful statement of commitment to her mother-in-law, and Naomi sees that it won’t do any good to argue with her – she’s coming along. This gift of commitment continues through the book of Ruth; if you haven’t read it recently, I encourage you to do so. It is short – only four chapters.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
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